Today we have another new guest reviewer -
Yik-Hai Chan. Take it away!

The Lord of the Rings Ė The Two Towers is set for release this winter and like last year, ToyBiz have released their line of action figures months before the movie release so eager fans and collectors can get their hands on the brought-to-life characters from Tolkienís books. The first series from TTT consists of Faramir, Grishnakh, a Gondorian Soldier, Easterling (which Mike reviewed last week) and the figure of this review,
Legolas.

Packaging - ***1/2
Having not been so interested in the Fellowship of the Ring figures, seeing the packaging to this series was actually quite a surprise. Although following the format of TFOTR blisters, I think the TTT blisters are better, with a wrap around cover with reddish-brown background, a hole in the shape of ĎThe Oneí ring showing the figure and its accessories clearly. The graphics are also very good, on the front, with red rendered characters in the corner and an image of Legolas in the bottom right corner in the same garb as the figure. The wrap around cover opens to reveal the figure and a map of Gondor for the background which was a nice touch. What stops this getting all
4 points is the fact that it isnít 100% collector friendly. If only it were a sliding blister pack.

Sculpting - ****
Using the wonderful world of Real Scan, this looks exactly like the actor. The face sculpt is spot on and I think the expression on the figureís face fits the character well. I would also like to point out the two strands of hair sweeping forward which matches the image on the blister and looks very authentic. The body sculpt itself is at a high level,
rivaling that of the likes of McFarlane. Every little detail has been added such as the creases in the arms and legs as well as those on his cloak. The amount of artificial straps on the figure which in the movie, holds Legolasí weapons and cloak, are immense and I like the way its been purposely sculpted in an untidy matter when its joined at the back. Also, the patterns on his clothes arenít just painted but fully sculpted on which is very impressive and I especially like the peacock on the back of his quiver. The hands are also sculpted well and can hold any piece of the accessories provided. Although the sculpting of the figure is extremely good, I do have to criticize the dagger sheaths of the figure. My figure may be slightly faulty but Iím always having difficulty trying to get one of the daggers to stay in place without it wanting to fall out. Other then that, itís a fantastic looking figure, which is unexpected as this looks even better then some of their Marvel Legends figures.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint is as equally as appealing as the sculpt. The skin tone color is perfect while the paint ops on the clothes are fantastic. The worn out look of the Ďunderskirtí is well done while the light and dark patches around the creases of the clothes are good. The quiver and shoulder pads have a nice wooden effect. The accessories are also painted well although a few bits of over-painted slop were found around 2 of the arrows.

Articulation - ***
On the last count the figure has 16 points of articulation. Although not Spider-Man Classics ground breaking, it does make sure that the articulation does not harm the sculpt of the figure in any way. It is fairly nicely hidden with the arm bicep twists hidden under his over garment and the shoulder pads move with his shoulder joints,
maximizing the number of joints. The figure does lack leg bicep joints which could have helped pose the figure in a different stance.

Accessories - **1/2
The figure comes with a bow, 2 daggers, a long sword and 5 arrows as well as 2 attached dagger sheaths, an attached quiver and an attached sword sheath. With no surprise, the weapons are sculpted well without a doubt, The bow, the daggers and the sword all have patterns on them which, again, have been sculpted. Although good, to me there isnít enough variety in the types of weapons Legolas has. It may be that these are the only weapons he uses in the movie. Also, the string on the bow has been done up too tightly in
favor of the action feature so that it is not possible to pose figure in
Legolasí classic arrow ready stance.

Value - ***1/2
For $7.99 - $9.99 over in the States, its pretty good value for such a high standard figure. Fully equipped, fully articulated and fully sculpted figures should cost more so this seems more like a bargain. In the UK expect to pay £9.99 in comic shops but if you are lucky enough to have toy or department stores to stock these in a near by area, be pleased when you only need to dish out £7.99.

Overall - ***1/2This is an excellent figure overall. With standards of figures now increasing due to vast increase in sculpting talent are use of Real Scan, be sure to pick up this figure when you see it as this is proof that we now live in an age where, when it comes to action figures, everything matters.